Spotlight on Silks

I first saw silks adverised at Tempest Dance & Fitness just a few years ago. It looked so pretty and graceful. I went along to a workshop they held and absolutely loved it. I saw a few guys who had obviously tried it before and had amazing strength just whizz up to the top of the silks and do some really fancy tricks. I was amazed and awestruck and I wanted to do that!!! I did just that and now I teach it.

As a beginner we start on a knot to get used to the silks so we don’t particularly need any upper body strength to start off with, and we build it up as we go along with conditioning designed to improve strength and stamina.

I suggest wearing cotton leggings and a t-shirt which covers your armpits. Cotton slides less on the silks and some moves we hold the silks in our armpits so its more comfortable for you to be covered up. The silks can also be a bit ’embracing’ at times, but this is something which we get used to and become more comfortable with over time. There are so many things to learn in silks starting off with a knotted silk so its more like an aerial yoga hammock, and then work towards using the silks separately and working on foot locks etc. There are also a few small drops that you can learn as you progress.

Above all, don’t forget that everyone progresses at their own pace, we all go to class to enjoy ourselves and have fun and silks is a great way to get fit, become stronger and more flexible and develop stamina and grace.

At Tempest we often have beginner courses for all of the aerial skills but beginners are also very welcome in our regular mixed ability classes.